Something that makes this whole issue difficult is the propensity on the part of SOME people to capitalize on human suffering.
Twenty years ago I managed a health food store. The store was owned by an self-described "naturopathic physician"; it existed primarily as an extention of her "practice." She was an iridologist, a "Rheams analyst" and maintained a "clinic" where she would treat people with advanced, seemingly hopeless cases of disease.
We carried things at the store that were illegal such as laetril, unhomogenized goat's milk, this mysterious tea imported from Jamaica (Jason Winter's tea - supposed to shrink tumors), and certain herbs in concentrations higher than was approved by the FDA (valerian root, eg.).... in fact, there were a lot of things not approved by the FDA - DMSO (? that solvent supposed to be good for arthritis) vitamin G, inositol (b vitamin) in powdered form (used to cut cocaine back in those days!!!) This is just a few things I can remember. I'd receive panicked phone calls from the owner: "Hide the _____ now! FDA is in the area!)
There were many people I met in the store - both practictioners and people seeking relief from their symptoms. There were many people who got better, and many people who truly loved their fellow man and tried to serve them in this way with as much integrity as I've ever seen. There were also people who had to earn a living at these alternative practices and who "provided" their services when they weren't needed - simply because they had to pay the rent, etc.
My boss, who was gifted in many ways, (she could tell by looking at my eyes that I'd had certain medical situations that I'd never revealed to her - it was amazing) would take in patients into her clinic (a secret location, of course) and some would truly be helped. Like with advanced Hodgkin's lymphoma. Others, and it was obvious, were beyond help. She took them in anyway, because she wanted the money. (It was a lot of $$$ )
For quite a few years I was immersed in the whole thing both as a participant for general health and as an observer..... fasting diets, chelation therapy, frozen castor oil capsules, black walnut tincture, diotomacious earth (pulverizes those evil parasites within your intestinal tract!) coffee enemas, the whole water is poison era.....
Anyway. My point is simply that healing is more than medical or non-traditional treatments... some people can recover fully from placebos when they are dispensed with love from a caring authority figure. Others die when their MD's provide state of the art technology but are sterile and detached as they provide care. There is validity on both ends of the continuum of health care - alternative and traditional....Mulan, I'm sure you have read Andrew Weil's books! They are incredibly insightful, don't you agree?
Just like every other situation on earth, people find ways of making money at this stuff, and their judgment is affected by it. I had some little dope who took a sample of urine and saliva tell me I had a brain tumor back then... I didn't; but he would have provided as much "care" as I could have afforded if I had let him. I think this aspect - human greed flourishing at the expense of vulnerable people - is what is suspect and taints the subject.
Sound familiar? And I don't even want to get started on the "recovered memories" issue..... AAHHHRRRGGG.
I'd see a practitioner of alternative medicine anyday, but the second I suspected them of abusing my trust, they are toast. The problem is risking having your trust violated, yet once again.... it's easier for most people to simply toss the entire industry (religion, culture, race, etc.) altogether. I'm going to shut up now! But thanks for yet another very interesting subject.
It's only water from a stranger's tear (Peter Gabriel)
